It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Treharris. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down the deeds. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your mortgage company or they may still be with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Treharris relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Treharris. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Aldermore, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Given you plan to re-mortgage then Aldermore will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Aldermore conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Aldermore mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Treharris. Will the conveyancing solicitor arrange an EPC or it is for the owner to coordinate?
Following the abolition of Home Packs, EPC’s was maintained a required part of selling a house. An EPC must be commissioned before the property is placed on the market. It is not something that conveyancers normally arrange. If you are using a Treharris conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with reputable local assessors
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Treharris. I have a mortgage agreed with Skipton. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel.
Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Treharris solicitor - who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Treharris surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to take this when purchasing a property in Treharris? or Apparently there is an ancient law that means some homeowners living in a parish church boundary will be compelled to pay for repairs to the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this appropriate for conveyancing in Treharris?
Unless a prior acquisition of the premises took place post 12 October 2013 you could take it that conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Treharris to continue to advocate a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Do I need to be concerned by 3rd parties that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Treharris conveyancing company?
As is the case with many service providers, often input from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all suggest solicitors to instruct. On occasion these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there behind the scenes commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that many mortgage providers specify a panel list of law firms you must use for the lender aspect of your house move.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the estate agent told us that the seller will only proceed if we use their chosen conveyancers as they need a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family solicitor used to conveyancing in Treharris
We suspect that the seller is not behind this requirement. If they require ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious buyer is going to damage their objectives. Speak to the vendors direct and make sure they understand (a)you are serious buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to appoint your own,trusted Treharris conveyancing firm - not the ones that will provide their estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing figures set by senior management.